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The Wire

Former Nirvana Audio Engineer Murdered

New York (July 20, 2009)--Tom Pfaeffle, a recording and live sound engineer who worked with Nirvana, The Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Rodney Crowell, B.B. King and others, was killed Friday night while vacationing with his wife in Twisp, WA.

The 49-year-old engineer, who owned The Tank Studio (Black Diamond, WA), was shot at the Blue Spruce Hotel, after apparently trying to use his key in the wrong room door. The 57-year-old suspect, being held for second degree murder and assault, shot Pfaeffle in the chest through the door; the engineer died at an area hospital two hours later. A second shot apparently went through a wall and nearly struck another person; police have not released the suspect's name and are investigating a motive.

Over the course of his career, Pfaeffle, who also taught live sound production at the Art Institute of Seattle, handled live mixing for The Black Crowes, Heart, Love Mongers/Ann Wilson and Queensryche, and had worked as a sound technician for the Scorpions. He had also worked as rental manager for American Music, and as a freelance recording engineer, with clients including Nirvana, UB40, Aerosmith, Great White, Alice Cooper, Rodney Crowell, and B.B. King.

Members of indie band Kay Kay and the Weathered Undergroundtold Seattle TV station KING, "He is a Seattle icon of sound," adding, "Anybody who has a studio in town or anybody who is a live sound guy with a venue in town learned from Tom."